High-speed Internet for Rural Northern California
High-speed Internet for Rural Northern California
Promoting economic competitiveness, access to essential services and improved quality of life, "broadband" is often referred to as high-speed internet because of its high rate of data transmission.
Having a cohesive network infrastructure throughout Northern California will have a similar impact as roads and waterways currently have. Without such a comprehensive broadband infrastructure, the over 1.6 million Californians living in the state's northern-most counties will continue to be deprived of quality access to the broadband services that are now essential to the quality of life in the 21st century.
Under the auspices of the Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California (CENIC), two regional broadband planning consortia were established to accelerate the deployment of broadband and other advanced communication services throughout rural California in order to promote economic competitiveness, access to essential services and improve quality of life. These consortia are:
Upstate California Connect Consortium (UCCC): Counties of Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Sonoma (not Sutter, Yuba - those were prior projects)
Northeastern California Connect Consortium (NECCC): Counties of Butte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, and Tehama
On January 1, 2012 the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) awarded grant funding for regional consortia broadband planning to CENIC and to CSU, Chico’s Center for Economic Development (CED), to facilitate development of an LLC (Limited Liability Company) to apply for CASF infrastructure deployment funds for eleven northern California counties. The planned infrastructure project, upon successful award, ultimately will connect 16 northern counties via five (5) inter-dependent rings, supported by existing and new infrastructure.
CED program manager and consortia facilitator Cathy Emerson says, “Assuming the application is successful, the LLC will then build, operate and maintain new sections of infrastructure, closing the gaps, creating redundant and diverse networks, forming a sustainable company that survives by selling backhaul services to incumbent local telephone and telecommunications provider companies, who in turn can sell better/greater services to bigger-use customers, and sell at retail to the end users like you and me.”
Cathy goes on to say, “At the end of the day it's not about who is connecting, but how often, with whom, how fast and how well. We are creatures of habit, and we crave connection. Nowadays connection is often virtual, which enhances, empowers, and fuels our need to connect to others - personally, professionally, and academically.”
For more information, contact Cathy at cmemerson@csuchico.edu; phone: 530-898-3862.
Click to view:
Fiber Planning Map - Northern California Regional Middle Mile
Main Rings Fiber Planning Map - Northern California Regional Middle Mile